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Silver City Warrant roundup nets 32 arrests

SILVER CITY — The Silver City Police Department conducted a drug warrant round up early Thursday morning in conjunction with the Southwest Border Operations Task Force that resulted in 32 arrests for various alleged drug trafficking offenses.

The result of a 4 1/2-month undercover narcotics operation, Operation Black Sheep was a huge success, Silver City Police Chief Ed Reynolds said in news release. A total of 38 officers and support personnel carried out the operation beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday morning. Other agencies assisting included Homeland Security Investigation, the U.S. Marshal Service, and the Grant County Detention Center.

"We are looking forward to doing more operations in the near future," Reynolds said. "We want to impact the narcotics sales in the Grant County area because the sales and use drives our property crimes such as burglaries, larcenies and, to lesser extent, shopliftings."

Undercover officers from the Silver City Police Department made street level purchases of narcotics of various controlled substances. Additionally, some of the defendants were arrested on charges of possession of controlled substances with the majority of those being found in possession on traffic stops conducted during the same period. The Grant County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit and personnel were involved in some of those traffic stops.

A total of 32 defendants developed resulting in a total of 37 warrants. Eight warrants for defendants still outstanding remained as of Friday morning.

¥ Nick Martinez, 33, Silver City, four warrants: Contempt of court, failure to appear, failure to pay fines. Bond: $6,410. Martinez was not part of the roundup however it was known to the officers involved that he had several outstanding warrants.

¥ Ricardo Mendoza, 25, Silver City, warrant: Contempt of court, failure to pay child support, $7,557.08. Mendoza was not part of the roundup, however it was known to the officers involved that he had several outstanding warrants.

¥ Angie Gibbons, 36, Silver City, trafficking methamphetamine, conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine. Gibbons was also in possession at the time of arrest and the additional charges are: Possession of a controlled substance: methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond: $36,000

Nicoli Tungate, 45, Hurley, possession of a controlled substance Methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance Dextromanphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, $11,000. Tungate was served while in the Grant County Detention Center where she was being held on unrelated charges